


Another paradox in the Universe…

by bellemelody



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005), Youkai Ningen Bem (TV 2011)
Genre: Angst, Community: angst_bingo, Community: trope_bingo, Crossover, Gen, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-18
Updated: 2013-03-18
Packaged: 2017-12-05 18:00:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/726200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bellemelody/pseuds/bellemelody
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Story takes place after heartbreaking ending of 4 Season of Doctor Who and lots of years after YNB</p><p> </p><p>Once The Doctor meets Bem.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Another paradox in the Universe…

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to Belle for help. All mistakes are mine and mine only. if you find them, just tell me.
> 
>  
> 
> So this is [The Doctor](http://media.tumblr.com/441563bd1b96b2aeecaab1c889f39a78/tumblr_inline_mj6ffcJjBN1qz4rgp.gif) and his [TARDIS](http://25.media.tumblr.com/57a4afbbdeca6adae60683651448d4e2/tumblr_mjv580Pc7N1qad70no2_500.gif)
> 
> This is [Bem](http://25.media.tumblr.com/020dc3300c036d50cb668c71a0b6fbdf/tumblr_mg9g68rx7w1rkhr33o1_400.gif) and this is [Bem](http://24.media.tumblr.com/17e22cac640052cbc32bc2ff7929f209/tumblr_mj2q87uAbB1s1dshmo2_400.gif) and this is [Bem](http://ic.pics.livejournal.com/flipangel_88/16154893/130207/130207_original.gif)

The next destination has not been planned; just some random coordinates entered, the time and the day, just not Sunday, everything else will be entertaining. Maybe he will save the world; maybe he will find the way to save himself.  
Doctor opens the door, and the darkness is enveloping him, no stars, no moon, and no light, just black darkness. It's like the stars are dead, he thinks, feeling the cold shivers running down his spine. 

What is this place with no life, no sound, nothing? Why is he here? 

The Doctor takes the first step into the darkness, like some insuperable power is pulling him into this nothing, calling, asking for his help.

“Who are you? What do you want?” He yells into the darkness, but the silence is the only response.

He feels it first; unable to see in the darkness, because you cannot see the shadow where there is no light, only the pitch blackness. Someone is here; he knows it.

“I’m the Doctor. I can help you. Just show yourself, who are you?” 

“Where am I?” The Doctor hears the voice, very close, on the right, low and raw. Not dangerous. Wounded.

Doctor looks around again and slowly realization hits him.

“I’m not sure myself because mostly this is categorically impossible and cannot happen, but my intuition and my knowledge tell me that most probably we are at a place where we just cannot be, even if I can explain my own appearance here. It is because the TARDIS detected your presence and I suppose that was you asking for help and calling my space ship to land here, but it does not explain why you are here in the first place because that is totally impossible.” 

This is impossible. Doctor knows it is, remarkably well, but still he is here.

“Where am I?” Someone in the darkness asks again.

“The Void.” Doctor sighs.

“What is it?” the voice sounds emotionless. 

“Nothingness. You cannot be here, this is a paradox that cannot ever happen, and this is nonsense, but very dangerous nonsense.” 

All the possibilities change themselves in his head, shifting and realigning while he tries to find explanations, because he must know if the holes will appear again, what if they exist already. This is so bad, he must do something, right now, right here and quickly.

“Paradox?” The voice echoed his word.

“Yes, it cannot exist, but still it exists.” 

The silence.

“Like me.”

“What?” Doctor turns, trying to make out his presence in the blackness, something in this voice makes him pay more attention. “What are you doing here?” he demands.

“I do not know.”

The voice and the sound. The Doctor can hear it clear now, this sound was the reason he came here, this is what TARDIS heard, this is what was calling for him, for help. 

“Just give me your hand,” Doctor says.

The heavy steps and he feels the arm, big and warm, inhuman. It is strange; it feels like a human, but not entirely, yet not entirely like an animal, he cannot distinguish the race and the species. It smells of despair and solitude.

Maybe they smell alike.

“You can see me, right?” 

“I can.”

It is impossible. To see something in a void, where there is nothing, absolutely nothing. 

Paradox.

“What is your name?” 

“Bem.” 

“Bem.” He tastes the name, trying to understand who is this person, standing near, from where did it come, how could it even possibly travel to the void just like this.

“You are the doctor. That means you can heal?” 

Doctor looks in the blackness, where even he can’t see Bem’s eyes, to read what is written there.

“I can’t heal, but I can help.”

“Doctor, who takes away all the stars? I cannot see stars anymore?”

“You can’t see stars, because there are no stars in the Void, there is nothing here,” he feels uncomfortable, it is consuming him, he can’t see, but he can feel and touch, the smell, the presence of someone near, it’s aggravating, but Bem was here alone. “Aren’t you scared here? Alone?”

“I don’t know. I don’t feel anything.” 

Doctor can hear him inhaling, deep and calm.

“How is it possible?” Doctor exclaims. He needs to find a way back to the TARDIS, there is light. “Come with me, we should leave.”

The warm arm lets him go.

“No.”

“But why? Don’t you want to go home?”

“Where is my home?”

“I don’t know but we will find it!”

“No, I don’t want that.”

“But tell me why? There is nothing in the void, absolutely nothing.”

“It’s good. It doesn’t hurt.”

Doctor counts the passing seconds, they can't stay here anymore. There is no coincidence in the universe, if he finds himself at this place that means he should act, without delay.

“Don’t you have anyone waiting for you out there? On your home planet, your family?” Doctor asks softly.

“Family?” Bem just echoes his words.

Doctor knows only one thing, they should leave and very fast, they can't stay here any longer and Bem is bigger, bigger than he thought, his arms are longer and although he is warm, he is not a human.

Doctor finds the hand in the darkness and drags Bem along, trying to find where he left the TARDIS. He opens the door with a flick of his fingers and pulls Bem into the TARDIS.

He was strong and massive and inhuman. Doctor can say that this race seems to be humanoid, but not entirely, his arms and the skin, everything. He looks like an alien and yet, he isn’t. 

“Who are you?” asks the Doctor, messing his hair up in frustration, thinking about all the galaxies and all the aliens he has ever met and trying to distinguish where Bem is from, where is his home, where he should take him.

Also the noise, this noise in his head, like a voice calling, like a wind blowing, before the moment he steps into the Void he hears it, clutching at the corners of his mind, just out of reach. 

Bem’s eyes. They are dark and empty, lacking anything, as if they had been drained. 

“Let’s find your home, ok?”

It’s not difficult for the Doctor now. Just find the traces that Bem made, some thick and deep, the hole that must disappear or the whole universe can be in danger again. He came from Earth. Doctor can see it clearly, but what he was doing on Earth? It's very doubtful, that an alien being with dark scales and a humanoid head can be unnoticeable there, how have they never met before?

The whooshing sound and the usual shaking, the TARDIS moves and they are back on Earth. Bem is not asking, not talking, his eyes are dark and empty and he is just looking at Doctor with darkness still around him, like he takes this void with himself, like it is inside of him, part of him.

That is interesting without any doubt, and brilliant - who is this creature and what is he doing on Earth and how is it even possible for him to create such a void around himself and call out to him help, for a Doctor, because this is not just any void. That was a personal darkness, the nothingness, that Bem created around himself. He has his own reasons, he must do, but maybe he doesn't recognize them, and this noise – it continues. He can’t feel anything. But why?

Doctor opens the door and leaves the TARDIS, Bem follows him.

“This is the old Earth, a nice year 2023, probably Monday, but I’m not sure, a very nice and peaceful year, of course humans are always tending to panic and wait for the end of the world, but believe me, this planet will survive anything. It seems like humans are special, something in this race makes them rise and rise over and over again, and that’s fascinating.”

“Humans? You are not a human?” The dark empty holes look at Doctor and make him feel uneasy under their stare.

“I am not. You too, you are not a human, but you are a human at the same time.”

Bem blinks, the shadow and light crosses the darkness of these eyes.

“I am a human?”

“It’s difficult to explain, because you can’t know what I know, so just believe me!”

Bem nods, as saying he does. He believes the Doctor, without question. Strange.

Doctor looks around; it must be spring, warm breezes and the scent of the flowers, the sunny day with people enjoying their lives. 

“So, the TARDIS thinks that this is the perfect place for us to find your family, so what do you remember?”

“I don’t remember anything?”

“Like absolutely anything?”

“No.”

Two black holes, the gaze of dark eyes and the Doctor frowns. Like a puzzle, this makes things more interesting.

They walk side by side, the road ahead is empty.

They find a green playground with a little boy playing there and adults nearby. They look peaceful and carefree. Doctor wonders how to hide Bem from the people, because he is tall and inhuman and it can cause some fuss here, it’s only the 21st century and people are not used to the aliens walking along the streets, but suddenly Bem is nowhere to be seen. 

“Bem! Where are you?” Doctor whispers loudly, trying to not disturb people nearby.

“I’m here.” Doctor hears the answer and looks up, finding Bem sitting in a tree, he was almost as green as the leaves of the tree or maybe slightly darker and more visible, but still it’s better than nothing. 

“Why are we here? Do you know this people?” 

Doctor looks at the tall woman in a long navy blue dress, her hair is black, the small boy with a big smile running to her and tangling himself in the folds of her skirt, the young man laughing, his hair is silver and eyes are bright. They are smiling. Sun is throwing warm sunbeams from above, the birds are singing deep in the foliage, even near where Bem is sitting. Doctor thinks that some ducks are splashing in the river nearby, he can hear the flutter of their wet clumsy wings and this noise in his head continues.

Another man with brown hair is helping a woman set out a picnic, putting food on the blanket. They all seem happy.

Doctor approaches them without any hesitation.

“Hello! Nice to meet you, I’m the Doctor.”

This looks like a weekend picnic, with two families sitting together and having nice time.

“We all are healthy here, we don’t need a doctor,” says the boy with dimples in his cheeks, he eyes are older than his body.

“I’m sorry for interrupting, I’m just looking for my old friend and I thought that maybe you are looking for him too or maybe you know him or someone from your family is missing and I can help you.”

The Doctor smiles, showing his psychic paper. They will see what they want and this is what is important.

The tall man shows his own papers.

“I’m a detective. My name is Natsume; if someone is missing you should talk to the police, I’m sure they will help you.”

Doctor shakes his head, “No, this is not so serious, I’m sure he is just walking somewhere around nearby or possibly jumping from tree to tree, he likes doing that it seems. So maybe you know him? His name is Bem.”

The sound, that comes from all the people in front of him, like they are holding their breath and finally letting it go in a shocked gasp, what does it mean? They know Bem? They don’t want to know him anymore? What did he do, that he needs to run to the Void and hide up there in the tree after?

“I’m Bem,” says the man with silver hair, he wears a fedora and a long scarf, his eyes are bright and warm and serious, but this is not Bem, not the Bem from the Void.

“No, he is another Bem, bigger and stronger and probably not human,” the Doctor mumbles the last words, but this Bem’s eyes widen, when he hears it and it hits Doctor. He thinks about the blackness and misery, solitude and the old bright eyes in the young face without wrinkles. The noise in his head is nagging, the voice, this impossible sound.

“You are Bem, or no. No, no, no!! I should go! Sorry! Just continue doing what you are doing and forget about me.” 

Doctor runs to the tree, where Bem is still sitting.

Everything is wrong, so wrong and why he couldn't see it before, how did he even miss that? Wrong time, wrong place, the noise still there.

“You lied to me, this is not your time, and it’s your own past! We must go and the sooner the better, you have no idea how dangerous it is!”

Doctor runs to the TARDIS holding big Bem’s hand and thinking about another Bem from the past, the Bem with life in his eyes and softness in his smile. Why hasn't he seen it before, now everything is so obvious, the void, the darkness, his doubt about Bem’s nature. Transformation! Of course! Why didn't he understand it before!!! So simple and still so many questions, the TARDIS is ready and now there will only be the right time and the right moment, Doctor knows exactly in what time the void will appear, when the hole in the dimensions will be made, where and when it is Bem’s home. 

That is a night in 2123, a hundred years after, maybe summer or late spring or maybe the heat is coming from the flying ships in the sky above, but it’s this Earth, but even the Earth is changing with every year. 

People are still the same, no matter how many years roll by, centuries will pass away, people still have the same feelings, the same passions and the same desires. They still hope and keep faith, love and cherish, lose and mourn. Nothing will ever change it.

“This is your sky,” says Doctor.

“The stars.” Bem is looking up, his head is round and inhuman, and his eyes are still old and tired.

“Show me yourself,” the Doctor asks softly.

“This is me.” It’s like a growl, low and raw, so wounded.

“No, this is not you, I saw the you from the past, you looked different, and you were human.”

Doctor can still hear the noise, he knows. He knows everything, the pain and the misery, the tears and the years of effort trying to tame the nature and keep his feelings under control, caring about people, saving their lives, those lives that are so short in comparison. Doctor knows Bem, he knows this noise, this cry, that called to him, to make him land in the Void, the place that this creature with a beautiful soul created to hide himself.

The Doctor can’t change history, but when he hears a cry so innocent and desperate, a cry for help; he can’t stay indifferent to it. 

The Doctor has seen this, has seen so many transformations so many times before. This time everything was different. It seems like Bem is showing him his open wounds, so safely hidden from others under the thick skin and black oblivion of his eyes, like the pain was dull and not real and now he is naked and open, vulnerable.

His hair is silver and there are small horns on his forehead, the thick scale-shaped skin remains on his shoulders, he is not a human, not human enough, but he feels too much like a human. Doctor knows it.

“Was it so painful? Being alive and seeing people around you growing old and dying?” 

Bem looks at him, his eyes glossy, so human like, wet with tears that must be salty and warm.

“Was it so painful that you decided to run away into the blackness without stars, so you prefer to forget, why? You showed me the happiest moments from your memories, right?”

His voice is the same low and deep, this Bem talks and his beauty is mesmerizing, and inhuman.

“Years and years, always alone and travelling, changing the places and keeping safe, without allowing anyone near. Just once in my life I had found a friend.”

“And he left you, because he is just a human.”

“His life was so fragile, I can fight with any danger, but I can’t fight with nature.”

Doctor sighs, “Yes, that’s right, humans become old and die.”

“He died and after that his child and after that his grandchild,” the tears are falling from Bem’s eyes, shining with all the remaining blackness.

“And you heart is breaking every time, again and again, seeing the ones you love leaving you behind.”

Bem nods. 

The stars seen from the Earth are so beautiful and so unique, people believe that they can make a wish upon a falling star and it will come true. 

Doctor can see the stars and can pretend that there is no pain and that he is all right, because he is always all right, because even being a Time Lord, doesn’t mean he can be a lord of his own life. He is only a witness of changing epochs, galaxies and the universe dying and rising again, nothing else. He is the last one now, the one and only.

At another end of the universe he heard the cry, Bem was crying, his wounded soul was asking for help.

Bem can’t run away from who he is, trying to find oblivion and pretend that there is nothing human in him, hiding in the darkness and shutting down all the feelings, even if it was the only way to cope with a pain that is so big and unbearable.

“You are not alone.” 

And the star falls down, one solitary shining star, maybe it wasn’t even a real star, Doctor doesn’t know and doesn't check, but when you are not alone in the whole Universe you can go on, actually you can do it even if you are absolutely alone, so long as you do not feel alone.

“You have your family and they must be waiting for you, searching, they have lost so many people already, I doubt you want them to feel that way again.”

They look at the stars. No matter how many years will pass the stars will still shine in the sky, like lonely travelers searching again and again, always moving in the darkness. The face of Earth will change and the stars will see it, until maybe one day, someone will shut them down and they lose their light. Doctor will take care that never will happen, not on his watch, while Bem will be here on this Earth, loving and caring and losing and suffering and saving.

“Doctor!” calls Bem, his eyes dry and serious with, with finally a light of the life in them, alongside pain and new hope.

“Yes.”

“You said, that it's difficult to explain, but you think that I am a human, is that true?”

“Yes. It’s true. But how, I’m not sure myself.”

Bem smiles gently, with softness at the edge of his smile and the deepness of his eyes that see so much.

“I think, I’m a paradox, Doctor.”

“Aren’t we all?”

The Doctor looks at the sky, endless and full of mysteries. 

Bem will live and he will live, like all the paradox in this big Universe. 

Tomorrow will be a new day, new adventures to have, new solitude to meet, new pain to feel, new planet to save.

The usual routine.


End file.
